Littlefoot
'''Littlefoot' is a character in the ''Land Before Time'' film series, and one of only three characters to appear in every movie and TV episode. He is an Apatosaurus (which is also informally known as a Brontosaurus) but is called a longneck in the films. Littlefoot is one of the main characters in The Land Before Time, its sequels, and its spinoff series. There are six others besides him; a Triceratops named Cera, a Pteranodon named Petrie, a Parasaurolophus named Ducky, a Stegosaurus named Spike, a friendly Tyrannosaurus named Chomper, and an Oviraptor named Ruby. Littlefoot is the central character in the series, but he doesn't always play the most important role in the plots. The earnest, honest, and enthusiastic Littlefoot is always leading his friends into new adventures, overcoming obstacles, and learning important lessons about friendship and teamwork. Personality Littlefoot is a modest, intelligent, playful longneck who, despite his traumatic upbringing, believes that friendship goes beyond species boundaries. He is good at making friends, but his clique is with his six best friends, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper, and Ruby, who are collectively call the Prehistoric Pals by fans. Although these are his closest friends, all living in the great valley together, he has friends in many other places, including Ali, Mo, Doc, and many others. He, along with his friends, go on many adventures together. Littlefoot tends to be ethical, mature, caring, and protective of all of his friends, believing that there is good in everyone. He is very caring of his friends, and acts as both their leader and the voice of guidance among them. In the TV series, Littlefoot is most often seen singing Adventuring, showing his love of going on adventures with his friends. Relationships Family In the original movie, the viewers are introduced to Littlefoot, his mother, and his grandparents. His father is not yet seen. His mother was devoted to her only son, and defended him at all costs. She even gives up her life fighting against the sharptooth in order to save Littlefoot and his then acquaintance; later friend, Cera. After her death, her spirit still stays by him, and her voice is often heard overhead, telling him to carry on; she would always be with him. When he finally decides near the end of the movie that he can't go on any further, she takes on cloud form and blows towards the other side of a rocky tunnel. When he reaches the opposite opening, he finds the Great Valley just below him. He is then reunited with his grandparents. Littlefoot finds treestars, his favorite food, symbolic with his mother, as a treestar was the last gift she gave him before she died. Littlefoot's grandparents are seen in all the films, and in the television series. Littlefoot has a strong bond with his grandfather, and generally looks up to him as an idol. Littlefoot's father, Bron, was finally seen in the tenth movie, and from that point the main plot focuses on Littlefoot adapting to the fact that he has finally met his father. Bron comments in this film that he was called "Littlefoot" as a nickname when he was young. Littlefoot states in the ninth film that he wishes he had a brother. In fact, he likely might have had one, or several siblings, as in the original film it is seen that there were several eggs in the longneck's nest. However, all of them except the one which contained Littlefoot were broken. Later in the ninth movie, he and his new friend Mo, the Opthalmosaurus, make a "mud-brothers" pact. In the tenth movie, along with Bron, a young Brachiosaurus named Shorty is introduced. Although he bullies Littlefoot out of jealousy, as Littlefoot now has all of Bron's attention, Littlefoot tries to be his friend, and even suggests that they pretend to be brothers. At the end of the film, Littlefoot asks Bron to adopt Shorty, which he does. In The Land Before Time IV: Journey through the Mists, it is revealed that Littlefoot has cousins, who are implied to be related to Grandma Longneck; a migrating herd of Longnecks led by an elderly matriarch called the "Old One". Among the longneck herd is a young female named Ali, whom Littlefoot quickly befriends. In a lot of fanwork, Littlefoot and Ali fall in love with each other, and if the story focuses on their adult years, they often get married. Some fans argue this theme promotes incest, as they are cousins (although not first cousins).A Land Before Time fanfic entitled "Only Time"; by Fanfiction.Net member Trunks6. Completed 06-12-02 www.fanfiction.net - "Only Time" - a Land Before Time fanficA Land Before Time fanfic entitled "The Lies of Jealousy"; by Fanfiction.Net member Green Dragon SWBF. Completed 08-22-02 www.fanfiction.net - "The Lies of Jealousy" - A Land Before Time fanfic Friends His closest friends are Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper and Ruby. Due to his aforementioned skill at befriending others, he is also friends with many other creatures. His friendships with dinosaurs and other animals outside his species is often viewed as a taboo, as many of the dinosaurs practice racial, or species based, segregation, which was based upon the days of racism in America. A notable reference to this period is the concept of Threehorns never play with Longnecks, which is based on an American motto which in today's decade is considered racist: Coloreds never played with white folk. Although Littlefoot and Cera are best friends, they are opposites in many ways, and the two fight constantly. This, on rare occasions, sometimes even leads to physical confrontations, the most famous being when Littlefoot fought Cera in the first movie for insulting his mother. Some fans have written fanfictions in which Littlefoot and Cera get into a relationship, which often evolves into a conflict with his relationship with Ali.A Land Before Time fanfic entitled "Revenge" on Fanfiction.Net www.fanfiction.net - The Land Before Time fanfiction - "Revenge"Retrieved on March 26th, 2008.A Land Before Time fanfic entitled "Last of My Herd" on Fanfiction.Net www.fanfiction.net - The Land Before Time fanfiction - "Last of My Herd"Retrieved on March 27th, 2008. Littlefoot has no problems with being Chomper's friend, and was even the first to realize he wasn't scary, and needed to be looked after in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, even though Chomper is the same type of Sharptooth as the one that killed Littlefoot's Mother. In fact, Littlefoot has an almost brotherly bond with Chomper, and supports him in nearly everything he does. Littlefoot looks up to Doc, a lone Longneck with infamous Sharptooth-fighting abilities. When Littlefoot hears Doc's opinon on him being friends with Chomper in the episode The Lone Dinosaur Returns, his admiration in him is considerably shaken. However, his respect in Doc is restored at the end of the episode when Doc apologises to Chomper.http://www.landbeforetime.co.nr/ Character Development Littlefoot was originally going to be called "Thunderfoot", until it was found out that there was a Triceratops in a children's book who already had that name.The Animated Movie Guide by Jerry Beck. Published 2005, Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1556525915 Page 138 Modifications The character has, like Cera, Spike, Ducky and Petrie, undergone a design-modification since the original film, but unlike the characters Cera and Spike, his change is not as obvious. Littlefoot is now drawn a few shades lighter, similarly to Ducky and Petrie. Awards/Nominations Littlefoot's fourth voice actor, Thomas Dekker, won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role in 2003, for voicing Littlefoot. Two years earlier, he was nominated for a Video Premiere Award, for Best Animated Character Performance, again for Littlefoot. The nomination was shared with supervising animator Zeon Davush. Notes *His nickname out of the series is "Lovable Littlefoot". *Littlefoot was incorrectly called a Brachiosaurus on the original video cover for the first film. He was also called a Brachiosaurus at Rotten Tomatoes.comRotten Tomatoes synopsis on The Land Before Time Retrieved on March 14th, 2008. and at Movies.com.The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water at Movies.com Retrieved on June 9th, 2008. Quotes *"Hey, hopper, come back!" *(yelling) "Take it back!" *(to Petrie) "Well, you can't! You're tearing my tree-star!" *"This is Chomper, remember? We saved him from egg-eaters, we hatched him, we're like his family, he'd never hurt us." *(tearfully to Bron) "Where were you, all this time?" *"I wish my mom had given me a brother, then I'd always have someone to have fun with." *"Where will I ever find friends like you?" References External Links Littlefoot at the Internet Movie Database. Littlefoot Hatches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64GNN2Jn89Y Category:Main Characters Category:Longnecks Category:Fourfooters Category:Dinosaurs Category:Land Before Time characters Category:Good Articles